Vanguard University Theatre To Present THESE SHINING LIVES

The Vanguard University Theatre Department will present THESE SHINING LIVES by Melanie Marnich, directed by Susan K. Berkompas, from April 16 through April 26 at the Lyceum Theater on the Vanguard University campus in Costa Mesa.

The production features choreography by Marianna Varviani and live cello performance by Chris McCarthy and is recommended for audiences ages 13 and up.

These Shining Lives tells the true story of women employed at the Radium Dial Company in 1920s Chicago, whose work painting glow-in-the-dark watch dials exposed them to lethal levels of radiation. The play follows Catherine Donohue and her colleagues as they confront the devastating consequences of their work and pursue accountability from the company that endangered their lives. The story examines themes of labor rights, friendship, resilience, and the human cost of industrial progress.

The cast includes Giana Garcia, Ruth Gray, Christina Rose, Shekinah Rainwater, Christopher King, Chase Pebelier, Avary Morales, Anabelle Collins, and Julieth Valencia.

Susan K. Berkompas directs the production. Berkompas is Theatre Department Chair at Vanguard University and serves as Producing Artistic Director of American Coast Theater Company. Her directing credits include Othello, Macbeth, Metamorphoses, The Crucible, Twelfth Night, Chess, Grease, and The Importance of Being Earnest: A Wilde New Musical, among others. She is a member of SDC, SAG, and AFTRA and has received multiple KCACTF awards for excellence in education.

Movement choreography is by Marianna Varviani, Artistic Director of Selcouth Dance Theater Company and co-founder of LA Dance Calendar and Global Choreographers. Varviani holds an MFA in Dance from UCLA and a BA in Contemporary Theatre from E15 Drama School at the University of Essex. Live music for the production is performed by cellist Chris McCarthy, Associate Principal Cellist with the Sea Coast Symphony, who also performs with several Southern California orchestras and serves as a string educator throughout Orange County.

The design team includes Kaitlyn Campbell and Jim Huffman as scenic designers and technical directors, Lia Hansen as Costume Designer, Garrett Spady as lighting designer, and Ethan Shou as assistant lighting designer. Stage management is led by Faith Horne with Tay Estrada as assistant stage manager. Additional production staff and crew support areas including sound, lighting, props, costumes, front-of-house operations, and marketing.